Atlantic ministers demand end of ferry fare hikes, new vessels

ST. JOHN’S — Newfoundland Transportation Minister Dianne Whalen and other Atlantic ministers is calling on federal support to make improvements to the region’s largest ferry service.

During meetings in Charlottetown, Whalen and her regional counterparts presented a united front in requesting funding to bring down Marine Atlantic transport rates and to replace aging ferries.

The North Sydney-Port aux Basques ferry is a Crown corporation and falls under the jurisdiction of Transport Canada.

Whalen, who calls Marine Atlantic "unreliable" wants to see an end to fare hikes and rates rolled back to 15 percent below 2006 levels, according to The Western Star newspaper. The ministers are also proposing making Marine Atlantic an essential service and "the construction of new made-in-Canada vessels to be put into service."

"Under our constitutional right, we’ve got that right to have a reliable and affordable ferry service," Whalen was quoted as saying.

A federal Conservative spokesman said the Harper government shares the province’s concern, which is why it recently announced $100 million to provide a new ferry.